VietNamNet Bridge - A whale of more than 2m long, nearly 200kg in weight was stranded on the beach of Thach Bi 2 village, in front of the whale temple in Duc Pho district of Quang Ngai province in the afternoon of June 13.

The 200kg whale.

A local fisherman named Le Van Son said he and several others were walking along the coast when they saw the stranded whale. Locals pulled the whale to the sea six times but the animal kept swimming back to the shore.

Believing that the whale was determined to die on the beach, locals carried the animal to the whale temple of Duc Pho district. They burned incense and prayed for the whale, waited until it died and buried it.

Many big whales were previously stranded on the coast of Duc Pho district. They were buried by local fishermen. Their skeletons are now still preserved at the local whale temple.

Fishermen in central Vietnam build temples for whales and annually organize the “Nghinh Ong Festival” to worship the whale to seek good luck at sea.

They believe that whales rescue people in danger and accompany them to the safety of the shore. Over time they began to celebrate an annual festival to cherish the giant creatures between the 14th and 17th of the eighth lunar month. It also provides them the time to pray for peace, prosperity, and happiness for the whole community. The festival has come to epitomize traditional cultural values, reflect the local spirit, and celebrate life.

Rescuing black giant barb in Tay Ninh

The giant barb.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Xuan, Director of the Lo Go - Xa Mat National Park in Tay Ninh Province, said that a 12kg black giant barb was caught in nets in the upstream Vam Co Dong River, in the buffer zone of the National Park on June 6.

The fish was handed over to the national park because this is a rare, endangered fish species, which is listed in the Red Book of Vietnam and the world.

The fish was seriously injured, with many scrapes on its body. If the fish does not survive, the national park will soak it in formaldehyde as a specimen for scientific research.

The giant barb is the largest species of cyprinid in the world. These migratory fish are found only in the Mae Klong, Mekong and Chao Phraya river basins in Indochina. It has declined drastically due to habitat loss and overfishing, and it is now considered Critically Endangered.

Le Ha